Steam repairs will reroute traffic, turn off heat, hot water

Starting Monday, May 19 an extensive campus steam line repair/replacement project will begin, resulting in closed sidewalks and roads as well as lack of hot water and heat in many campus buildings.

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Contractors work on a steam line repair project near Holden Fine and Applied Arts Center in summer 2013. Year Three of the project begins Monday and wraps up in August.

The steam line project consists of excavating portions of existing underground campus steam lines damaged by the June 2012 campus flood.

This project is necessary to correct damaged pipe and insulation due to the steam line vaults being totally flooded during the June flood. This is the third and final project needed to complete the repairs. These repairs will result in increased longevity, higher grade insulation, waterproofing and increased energy efficiencies.

Summer 2014 Steam Line Repair Project Information

General Project Description

• Uncovering and exposing buried steam lines• opening up the existing concrete boxes containing the steam lines for inspection of damage• removal of damaged pipe insulation• based on inspection results, concrete box, steam piping and supports to be fully replaced, partially replaced/repaired, or reused• re-insulating steam lines• closing up the concrete boxes and waterproofing • backfilling and restoration of soils and landscape to previous conditions

Project Locations

There will be six (6) main campus locations for this project. (Map PDF)

2. Between Old Main and Erlanson, below the overhead link and access from parking lot 7 - Demolition and replacement of old steam line and box conduit.

3. From the Marcovich Wellness Center (MWC)north along the east side of Catlin Ave. past the main entrances of Curran McNeill Ostrander Halls (CMO) north - Excavation/ Steam line inspection/ repair/ replacement/ insulating.

4. South of the Marcovich Wellness Center (MWC) from the east side of Catlin Ave east through lot 13 to the south side of MWC - Excavation/ Steam line inspection/ repair/ replacement/ insulating.

5. Corner of Mortorelli Dr. and 21st St. east of WITC - Excavation/ Steam line inspection/ repair/ replacement/ insulating.

6. North east side of Wessman Arena east to Catlin Ave - Excavation/ Steam line inspection/ repair/ replacement/ insulating.

Road and Sidewalk Closures

• This project will require the northbound lane of Catlin Avenue to be closed from 19th Street to just south of the Yellowjacket Union parking lot, along with the adjacent sidewalk on the east side of Catlin. There will be two accesses around this area to the north and south as well as a temporary access through this area at the northwest corner of Marcovich Wellness Center to the west side of Catlin Avenue.

• Twenty-First Street east of Mortorelli Drive near WITC will be closed.

• Sidewalks will be closed between Old Main and Erlanson.

• Lot 13 south of the Marcovich Wellness Center (MWC) will be closed. Alternate parking will be in lot 3A north of MWC.

• Several sidewalks will be closed to pedestrian traffic in and near the construction sites. Alternative pedestrian routes will be open to allow access to all campus buildings.

Project Schedule

• Construction start May 19, 2014

• Steam shut down to north campus May 19, 2014

• Steam shut down for all campus June 30, 2014

• 21st St shut down east of Mortorelli Dr May 19, 2014 - July 3, 2014

• North bound lane of Catlin Ave shut down End of May - August 18, 2014

• Steam back on to all campus August 18, 2014

• Substantial completion August 18, 2014

Campus impacts

There will be short term construction noise, dust and traffic during this project. General work hours will be Monday - Friday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Adjustment of hours will be worked out with Residence Life when crews are working near the residence halls.

Due to portions of the campus steam lines being shut down, most campus buildings will not have hot water. Critical buildings, such as residence halls, MWC and the Yellowjacket Union, have auxiliary hot water heaters to provide necessary hot water to critical areas. In addition, most campus buildings will not have any heat due to the lack of steam. As this project begins in May, temperatures can be on the cool side at times.

Please be prepared for potential cooler temperatures in the buildings during the early phase of this project. It is anticipated that steam will be back on line at the end of August. Some sections of the campus may have steam service back earlier depending on the completion of the various phases of the project.

Safety

The contactors will be securing the construction sites with fencing, barricades and signage. Please use extreme caution and common sense when traveling around these areas, either by vehicle or on foot. Safety is all of our responsibility; don't always rely on others.

On behalf of the campus, your understanding and patience during the much needed project is very much appreciated.